Translator: AnubisTL
This place is strange!
Otherwise, the Shangqing Sect would never have abandoned such a spiritually rich location.
Li Qing frowned deeply, unable to understand why.
"Forget it. Since the Shangqing Sect hasn't been destroyed yet, rebuilding our mountain gate here prematurely is unrealistic. We'll have to abandon this place for now. It's best to investigate the situation thoroughly first!" Li Qing muttered to himself, making his decision.
Though he desperately wanted to settle the Lingyun Sect's remaining disciples here with Fatty Wu, the current circumstances were too uncertain for such a risky move. He had to make the cautious choice.
"Senior brother Li, what should we do next?" Shen Ningbing asked softly after observing the area for a long while.
Li Qing replied slowly, "Head north to Liang Country. We'll scout the Shangqing Sect's territory directly."
This was the simplest and most effective approach. By investigating the areas surrounding the Shangqing Sect, they were bound to uncover some clues about its true strength and weaknesses.
Side by side, the two soared northward, crossing familiar mountains and rivers at breakneck speed, heading straight for the Shangqing Sect's domain.
The journey was long, and the pair concealed their auras and appearances, maintaining the facade of late foundation establishment realm cultivators throughout.
The Azure Ridge Domain was far less complex than the Great Wilderness Domain. A core formation realm cultivator would undoubtedly attract intense scrutiny.
Moreover, if their true core formation realm cultivation were exposed, the Shangqing Sect would immediately become suspicious.
Just as the Lingyun Sect had Lingyun Market and the Heavenly River Sect had Heavenly River Market, the Shangqing Sect operated its own trading market.
This market, named River Gap, was situated between two rivers that flowed directly into the sea.
With the Heavenly River Sect and Lingyun Sect eliminated, the Shangqing Sect now dominated the entire Azure Ridge Domain, making River Gap the largest trading market in the region.
Numerous rogue cultivators gathered here, seeking opportunities to make a living.
Clearly, this was the ideal place to gather information and intelligence.
Thus, in a teahouse within River Gap Market:
"This low-grade spirit tea dares to sell for such an exorbitant price? Claiming it's Enlightenment Spirit Tea? This is truly outrageous!"
An elderly man in a purple robe frowned deeply as he set down his teacup, muttering complaints about the shop's blatant overcharging.
He had initially believed he would be drinking genuine Enlightenment Spirit Tea. Instead, after wasting over a hundred spirit stones, he had only received this inferior brew, fueling his anger.
A nearby tea drinker whispered a warning:
"Fellow Daoist, you should lower your voice. This teahouse is backed by an elder from the Shangqing Sect, whose cultivation has reached the late foundation establishment realm!"
True Lord Ziqing scoffed, his expression disdainful. "Does a foundation establishment elder from the Shangqing Sect have the right to cheat customers like this?" he demanded. "Besides, even if the teahouse has powerful backing, no one forced you to come here. Why would you knowingly pay for this overpriced tea, knowing it's a scam?"
The other cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.
Suddenly, a booming laugh echoed from outside the teahouse, answering True Lord Ziqing's question:
"Hahahaha! It's because these people need something from the Shangqing Sect!"
"Now is a rare period of calm in the Boundless Sea, the perfect time to venture out and catch spirit fish. Anyone who dares to set sail without my approval is courting death!"
As the words faded, a round-bellied middle-aged man strode into the teahouse from outside. He twirled the mustache above his lip as he swaggered in, his belly protruding like a woman in her sixth month of pregnancy.
"Greetings, Left Envoy Xu!"
The moment he entered, the tea drinkers immediately rose to their feet, bowing respectfully with clasped hands.
Among them were cultivators from the qi refining realm and others from the foundation establishment realm.
They had come here, spending exorbitant sums to savor the spirit tea, not to be fleeced, but to seize this once-a-year opportunity to harvest spirit fish from the Boundless Sea.
For nearly ten months of the year, the Boundless Sea is ravaged by relentless gales and towering waves, punctuated by deadly maritime storms that claim the lives of cultivators.
Only during this brief window does the sea temporarily calm, making it the optimal time to venture out and catch various spirit fish.
Of course, calm seas didn't guarantee absolute safety. Encountering sea clan demon beasts remained an extremely perilous situation.
Every year, a significant number of cultivators who ventured out to catch spirit fish perished in the jaws of sea clan demon beasts—a truly shocking statistic!
Yet even so, countless rogue cultivators flocked to the sea like moths to a flame.
Their motivation was simple: a single successful fishing expedition could yield immense profits.
Those who returned alive often used the rare periods of calm to fill every storage pouch they possessed to bursting.
The gains from a single trip could cover their cultivation expenses for a year, or even several years.
"Heh, since you've all honored me by coming to drink my Enlightenment Spirit Tea, I naturally wouldn't withhold the sea passage permits."
With these words, Left Envoy Xu produced the sea passage permits from his robes and distributed them to the cultivators who had purchased the Enlightenment Spirit Tea.
Clearly, those who had bought other, reasonably priced spirit teas were not eligible for these permits.
Left Envoy Xu treated everyone equally, despite True Lord Ziqing's earlier insolence, and handed him a sea passage token.
"Heh, Daoist Friend, keep this safe," Left Envoy Xu said with a forced smile as he handed True Lord Ziqing a jade token. "Though the Boundless Sea is now relatively calm, it remains fraught with peril. Remember to be cautious, lest you end up as food for sea monsters!"
As True Lord Ziqing accepted the token, a glint of cunning flashed deep within his eyes. He feigned gratitude, saying, "I see now. Left Envoy Xu's magnanimity is truly admirable. My sincere thanks."
True Lord Ziqing clasped his hands in a solemn bow.
However, Left Envoy Xu maintained a frosty demeanor, refusing to be drawn into any familiarity. He turned and left with a cold laugh.
Capturing spirit fish in the open sea was no task for amateurs. In his eyes, inexperienced cultivators like True Lord Ziqing were courting death by venturing into such dangerous waters.
Thus, he had dismissed True Lord Ziqing's earlier insolence and even granted him a sea passage token, hoping the man's greed would lead to his demise.
He never imagined that True Lord Ziqing was a cultivator in the core formation realm, and that his true purpose wasn't to catch fish in the sea, but to obtain this very sea passage permit!
Having secured the permit, the malevolent True Lord Ziqing continued to feign inexperience, addressing the other patrons in the teahouse:
"Fellow cultivators, the Boundless Sea stretches endlessly. Why is a permit from the Shangqing Sect required to catch spiritual fish here?"
A cultivator who had made his living fishing the seas for years shook his head and replied:
"Fellow Daoist, you may not be aware, but the Shangqing Sect keeps a powerful third-tier demonic beast called the Mountain-Bearing Turtle. The sea area outside their mountain gate is this turtle's territory."
"In that region, sea clan demon beasts are far fewer, making it the prime location for catching spiritual fish."
"But if you venture out without a permit and are caught by the Shangqing Sect's patrol cultivators, death is certain."
Hearing this, True Lord Ziqing nodded with feigned understanding.
"If you've never been to sea before, Fellow Daoist, I strongly advise against venturing out alone."
"Even in the waters inhabited by the Mountain-Bearing Turtle, danger lurks everywhere. Don't throw your life away. Consider today's events a lesson learned."
True Lord Ziqing smiled, clasped his hands in a bow, and said, "Thank you for the reminder, fellow cultivators. Farewell!"
With that, he carefully stowed the permit and left the teahouse.
However, True Lord Ziqing had no intention of heeding the advice and abandoning his plan. He still intended to set sail.
He had already learned that the permit bore the unique aura of the Shangqing Sect's cultivation manual. With this jade token, he could avoid provoking the hostility and vigilance of the Shangqing Sect's guardian demon beast, the Mountain-Bearing Turtle.
The sole reason he had gone to such lengths to obtain this permit was to target that very demon turtle!
He imagined the Shangqing Sect's pain at losing their third-tier Mountain-Bearing Turtle.
As this thought crossed his mind, a cold glint gradually surfaced in True Lord Ziqing's eyes.
Little did he know, his movements had already been exposed.
Everything had been observed by Ling Ying!
"I must say, Ancestor Ziqing of the Lingyun Sect is truly admirable. Even after his sect's destruction, he still clings to thoughts of revenge."
Ling Ying revealed a sinister smile, then stroked his chin with his fingertips, his expression turning profound.
"Securing passage to the sea... Is he planning to target our sect's Mountain-Bearing Turtle?"
"Such relentless hatred... Risking everything like this... Could he have accomplices?"
Ling Ying pondered deeply. Having risen through the ranks from the qi refining realm to his current position, his mind was naturally meticulous, and he never acted impulsively.
His willingness to handle this matter alone stemmed from his considerable confidence in dealing with True Lord Ziqing.
Moreover, having recently achieved core formation, he was eager to test his newfound abilities. True Lord Ziqing, who had conveniently presented himself, was the perfect opponent.
"Heh, it seems my Core Formation Ceremony is destined to be exceptionally grand—a flag raised with the blood of a core formation realm true lord!"
"..."
Li Qing and Shen Ningbing remained completely unaware of Ancestor Ziqing's actions.
Concealing their auras and disguising their appearances, they arrived at River Gap Market.
"No wonder this place is so bustling! It turns out the Shangqing Sect is holding a Core Formation Ceremony in seven days!"
"I didn't expect the Shangqing Sect to have another newly advanced core formation cultivator."
Along the way, Li Qing and Shen Ningbing had gathered considerable intelligence, uncovering the reason for the unusual bustle in the area: cultivators from all directions were converging here.
"Another core formation true lord..." Shen Ningbing's expression grew more solemn.
They hadn't yet determined the exact number of core formation realm cultivators within the Shangqing Sect, but based on their current information, they could roughly estimate at least three or four ancestors!
First, there was Wen Xing, who was still alive. Then came Exquisite True Lord, currently at the peak of her power.
With this newly advanced core formation cultivator, that made three ancestors.
Moreover, given the years that had passed, it was highly unlikely that no one else in the Shangqing Sect—which monopolized the cultivation resources of the entire Azure Ridge Domain—had successfully achieved core formation!
Although the cultivation environment in the vast Azure Ridge Domain couldn't compare to that of the Great Wilderness Domain, it was still possible to find one or two core formation spiritual materials.
Considering all this, the Shangqing Sect likely possessed the combat strength of at least four or five core formation ancestors.
Adding to this their sect's guardian demon beast, the late-stage third-tier Mountain-Bearing Turtle, this formidable force already exerted considerable pressure on Li Qing.
"The most troublesome opponents are undoubtedly the Mountain-Bearing Turtle and Exquisite True Lord," Li Qing said, his expression darkening with concern. "Their combat prowess far surpasses that of ordinary core formation cultivators."
He was particularly wary of Exquisite True Lord. She had reached the core formation realm long ago. After so many years, given her exceptional talent, it was highly likely she had advanced to late-stage core formation and was now poised to pursue the nascent soul realm.
A heavenly spirit root combined with the Exquisite Treasure Physique—the simultaneous manifestation of these two rare attributes in a single cultivator was nothing short of heaven-defying.
Such a combination could truly be described as a once-in-ten-thousand-years occurrence!
If not for the early sabotage that damaged her foundation, she might have defied the cultivation environment of the Azure Ridge Domain and successfully condensed a nascent soul here.
Of course, all of this remained Li Qing's speculation.
"Regardless, we can't afford to miss the Shangqing Sect's Core Formation Ceremony. It's an excellent opportunity to gauge their true strength."
"If we can infiltrate the ceremony, we might even get a glimpse of the Shangqing Sect's other core formation ancestors."
Li Qing's reasoning was simple: a Core Formation Ceremony for a newly advanced ancestor would undoubtedly attract the attendance of other core formation ancestors.
Hearing Li Qing's bold plan, Shen Ningbing was momentarily stunned. After careful consideration, she realized the idea held great potential.
"Infiltrating the Core Formation Ceremony is one thing, but how do we obtain suitable identities?"
"Given the grandeur of such a ceremony, attendees must be renowned figures. We can't just sneak in unnoticed."
Li Qing smiled confidently. "That's the easy part. With our cultivation levels and skills, this shouldn't pose any challenge."
"We'll find a Clan Head from a cultivation clan attending the ceremony in the trading market, capture them, and impersonate their attendants to gain entry."
As he spoke, Li Qing began scrutinizing potential targets, carefully selecting candidates within River Gap Market.
Meanwhile, on the Boundless Sea, during what should have been a calm period, an unprecedented tsunami and storm suddenly erupted!
Cultivators who had ventured out to sea to catch spirit fish fled frantically toward the shore, their hearts pounding with terror.
The monstrous waves, towering hundreds of meters high, blotted out the sky, threatening to engulf the heavens themselves as they crashed against the coast.
Boom!
Accompanying the raging waves was an overwhelming spiritual pressure!
(End of the Chapter)
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